Autumn Colds in Calgary: Three TCM Kitchen Teas and Who Each One Suits

By October, the furnace is running in most Calgary homes. As a result, the air turns dry, and so do a lot of throats. Meanwhile, school is back, and the first of the autumn colds has come home in a backpack.

If you are the one making tea for a coughing child at bedtime, this post is for you. In particular, it is for you if you are also pregnant, postpartum, or trying to conceive. You are likely minding everyone’s immune defences except your own.

Autumn colds: what I see in my clinic every year

Every autumn, the same pattern shows up in my Bridgeland clinic. First, the weather changes. Then the kids go back to school. Soon after, whole families are passing colds and flus back and forth. As a result, the question becomes a simple one. How do we take care of our immune defences?

My answer starts in the kitchen. Still, these are foods, not medicine. I share them as simple comforts from the Chinese food therapy tradition, and each one suits a different person.

Autumn colds and the Lung in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season belongs to an organ system. Autumn belongs to the Lung. Classically, the Lung governs wei qi, or defensive qi. Think of it as the body’s outer layer of protection, at the skin, nose, and throat.

However, the Lung dislikes dryness. Unfortunately, dryness is what a Calgary autumn delivers: low humidity, chinook winds, and forced-air heat. In TCM terms, that can leave the Lung dry and the defensive layer thin. For example, you may notice a dry throat, a tickly cough, cracked lips, or thirsty skin.

Cooked pear, for the dry and tickly cough

Pear is a classic autumn food in Chinese kitchens. Classically, it is cool and moistening, so it is commonly used when dryness is the problem. For example, think of a dry throat, a hoarse voice, or a tickly cough with little phlegm.

To make it, slice one ripe pear and simmer it in three cups of water for 20 minutes. Then drink the liquid warm and eat the fruit. Asian pear is traditional. Still, a Bartlett or Bosc from the grocery store works. Many recipes add rock sugar, but I would skip the sweetener for young children.

Cooking matters here. In TCM, raw pear is cold in nature, and cold food can be hard on a tired digestion. Therefore, I suggest it warm, especially in the weeks after birth.

Aged tangerine peel, for the heavy and phlegmy cold

Chen pi is dried, aged tangerine peel. Unlike pear, it is warm and drying. Classically, practitioners use it to move qi and to dry dampness and phlegm. As a result, it suits the opposite picture. That means a wet cough, a heavy, stuffy head, a poor appetite, or bloating after meals.

This distinction matters. After all, a dry, tickly cough and a wet, rattly cough call for different foods. In short, pear for dry and peel for wet.

To make it, steep a thumb-sized piece in a mug of just-boiled water for ten minutes. Asian grocers and Chinese herbal shops carry it. However, fresh orange peel is not the same thing, although it makes a pleasant tea. If you use fresh peel, choose organic, unwaxed fruit and wash it well.

Goji berry tea, for the tired parent

This one is for you, not the kids. Goji berries, or gou qi zi, are sweet and neutral. Classically, they nourish the Liver and Kidney. In TCM, that means deeper reserves rather than surface defences. Traditionally, goji is the food for someone who is run down, with dry, tired eyes.

To make it, steep a small spoonful of dried berries in a mug of hot water for ten minutes. Then drink the tea and eat the berries.

However, goji is not for everyone. Published case reports describe goji tea increasing the effect of the blood thinner warfarin. Therefore, if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, speak with your pharmacist first. Similarly, if you are pregnant or in an IVF cycle, ask before making it a daily habit.

Finally, if feeling run down has lasted longer than a season, it deserves a proper look. That is what a first visit with me is for.

Before you give any of this to a child

Keep it simple, and keep it food. Here are three rules I would not bend.

• First, no honey for any child under one year. Health Canada links honey to infant botulism, and cooking does not make it safe.
• Next, for toddlers, offer only the cooled pear liquid and the soft fruit. Strain out goji berries and peel.
• Finally, start with a few sips. Stop if you see a rash or an upset tummy.

When autumn colds leave you run down

A pot of pear tea will not rebuild what pregnancy, broken sleep, or a long fertility process has drawn down. Instead, that takes a closer look at you, not the household.

In my practice, that look starts with your history, sleep, cycle, digestion, tongue, and pulse. From there, I explain how I would approach it. I cannot promise you fewer colds, and nobody honestly can. However, patients often report feeling more rested and less run down with regular acupuncture. Of course, acupuncture works alongside your doctor’s care and never replaces it.

Keep Reading

Related read: Wildfire Smoke in Calgary: How Acupuncture May Support Your Lungs and Nervous System

More on this: Eating for Your Cycle: A TCM-Inspired Guide to Using Food as Medicine

Also worth reading: Clean January: A TCM-Inspired Reset for Calgary Winters

Book your first visit

If autumn colds have left you run down, start with an initial 90-minute session. I practise inside Encompass Sports Therapy in Bridgeland. First, I go through your health history with you. Then you tell me what you are noticing, and I explain how I would approach it.

I am accepting new patients, with evening and weekend appointments. In addition, I direct bill most major extended health plans, including Alberta Blue Cross, Manulife, and Sun Life.

Book your initial 90-minute session →